I Want To Be A Leader, Not a Follower!

Or how I took control of my knitting, or maybe that should be my life.

This isn't new to regular readers of the blog, because I have touched on this numerous times, but like weight loss, I seem to be always starting over when it comes to a couple of aspects in my life. 

I'm easy.  Find me a restaurant, I can find something on the menu that I can/want to eat.  Want to go or do something, I am agreeable especially if I don't have to drive and even if I have to, I still don't have a problem with it.  I follow along.  See a look or a shoe or a purse, I gotta have it, only after spending the cold hard cash for it, I discover it really isn't all that it was cracked up to.  I guess thats the reason, I now have a bag tree.  Don't get me wrong, but geesh, thats a lot of bags and cold hard cash hanging there.  I'm not even going to go there with the stash, you know I have a big one, but I have an idea that I'll address in future blogs...it has to do with the Bishop Hill Fiber Guild Spin In, I went to yesterday, but for now you will have to wait for that thought.

Ravelry is a wonderful thing.  You all know it if you have ever been over there.  Knitting with a group of friends is super fantastic.  You all know that too if you are lucky to have a group you can knit with. I have a couple so I am super lucky.  If you don't have one, find one at your local yarn shop, it is a great way to meet new friends.

Anywho, with Ravelry and my knitting friends, I have become such a follower.  See a yarn someone is contemplating, I gotta have it.  Wear a sweater or see it on Ravelry, I picture myself in it and gotta knit it.  No matter, if it isn't my style, it looks good on them gotta do it. 

Well, hello, here is my attempt to stop that following.  This past summer, I bought some yarn for a sweater after seeing it on a knitting friend.  She is tall and thin and I loved the colors (it had caribe in it, naturally).  I had to knit it.  I bought the yarn in another colorway, (it too had caribe in it).  I started knitting it.  When I showed the pattern to another friend, they said something like - not gonna look good on you, I wouldn't do it.  So, I switched my pattern and embarked on another sweater.  The other sweater is finished, it is okay, but it still needs some tweaking that will just have to be handled next spring.

Yesterday, at Spin In, another knitting friend had the original sweater on and it looked fabulous.  I told my friends that I had originally started it and the story of the change of sweater pattern.  They made me try it on and you know what??? It looked good on me and on the way back from the restroom mirror, I got two compliments on it.  Huh?

So the moral of the story and where I am going with this??  I am taking charge of my knitting and a teeny weeny part of my life.  I am going into the yarn room, going to pull out a book that I like, going to see what sweater I like from it, going to the yarn room wall and pick out a yarn that will look good in it and I (in big bold caps) am going to  knit just what I want to, what I think will feel and look good on me and I am going to knit it!

I am starting today to be a leader in my life and am hoping it will spill over into the other areas.  Ahh, that felt good.  Stay tuned!